Yahoo Finance 10 great conversions that breathe new life into old buildings
Quality conversions make highly-prized homes. They’re true one-offs, boasting interesting features and histories plus decent eco-credentials, as repurposing properties that have outlived their previous use is far more environmentally friendly than replacing them with new ones. From apartments in former industrial, transport and military sites to houses fashioned from redundant rural and religious buildings, these are some of the best conversions currently on the market.
1. The Textile Building, Newark, Nottinghamshire, from £132,500
39 studio, one and two-bedroom apartments in a newly-converted Victorian wool warehouse. Spread across four buildings, they have vaulted ceilings, arched picture windows and roomy open plan living areas, and residents will have use of a co-working space, a yoga studio and a communal courtyard garden. Find out more by visiting The Textile Building.
2. Copthorne Keep, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, from £199,995
The Keep is a red-brick former armoury in a 224-home development on the site of Copthorne Barracks, built during a programme of national military reforms in the 1870s. Only three of its nine apartments are left, each with two bedrooms, an open plan kitchen/living/dining room, a shower room and energy-efficient zoned heating. From Bellway Homes.
Read more: 10 best fixer upper homes to put your own stamp on
3. The Engine Yard, Edinburgh, from £305,000
Now in its final phase, this new mixed-use community was previously the city’s tram depot, dating from 1898. 18 one, two and two-bedroom flats and three-bedroom duplexes are available in the restored Big Shed, where industrially-inspired interiors are a nod to its past. Those on the ground floor are fitted with French doors opening out to a garden or Juliette balcony while second and third floor homes feature balconies, and arched, round or solar powered Velux windows. By Places for People.
4. Longniddry, East Lothian, offers over £370,000
This end-of-terrace house is part of a small steading (farmhouse) development in a rural village with a shop, post office and pub. Inside it’s bright, contemporary and bigger than it looks, consisting of a dual-aspect sitting room, a kitchen/diner, utility, cloakroom, three first floor bedrooms and two bathrooms. In addition there’s a low-maintenance paved garden and residents’ parking. For sale through Coulters via ESPC.
5. Clitheroe, Lancashire, £550,000
A 30-foot wide conservatory stretches across the back of this converted barn, making the most of the wonderful views across the immaculately tended garden. It also comprises a sitting room, kitchen, utility and cloakroom, a main bedroom with a dressing room and shower room, two further double bedrooms and a family bathroom, all equally pristine. Find out more from Purplebricks.
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6. Collingborne Ducis, Marlborough, Wiltshire, £900,000
Grade II listed The Last Straw is believed to have been built using beams salvaged from shipwrecks from the Spanish Armada. Over the years it has served as a pub and a police station and is now a fully-restored family home including five bedrooms, three bathrooms, an open plan kitchen/sitting/dining room with an inglenook fireplace, a dining room and an office accessed through a door disguised as a bookcase. Via Fine & Country.
7. Warkworth, Northumberland, £900,000
Built in 1825, Grade II listed The Old School was converted from – you’ve guessed it – the old village school. Incorporates a bell tower, a stone entrance arch and iron gates made by the blacksmith who forged gates in nearby Alnwick Garden for the Duchess of Northumberland. The school hall has become a double height family room and one of the three bedrooms is on the ground floor, though the layout could be changed without too much hassle. It’s in a lovely riverside setting and comes with a private jetty, mooring and fishing rights. Contact Finest Properties.
Read more: 8 heritage homes with star quality
8. Lower Writhlington, Somerset, £995,000
Architectural details like stained glass windows, stone walls and columns and soaring ceilings make church conversions particularly appealing. However few are as stylish as 150-year-old St Mary Magdalen, which perfectly fuses old and new. Thick oak doors inside the stone porch open into the main living space where you'll find statement Crittall screens, a striking black chimney and a spiral staircase that winds up to a mezzanine library. The main bedroom’s screened behind a bookcase, another is reached via a second staircase and the third is in a two-storey annex. From Knight Frank.
9. Boxhurst, Sandhurst, Cranbook, Kent, £2.5m
It’s hard to imagine but Grade II listed Joldwynds was simply an oast and two barns before being transformed into an entertainment complex for a neighbouring farm in the 1930s, then into a family house in the 1980s. Filled with light and very spacious, it has four bedrooms, three reception rooms, a dining area with a minstrel gallery above, a two-acre garden and far-reaching views. A state-of-the art kitchen and pool house were added recently. Find out more from Jackson-Stops.
10. Runcton, Chichester, West Sussex £2.75m
Runcton Mill, a listed former mill, lies in a tranquil waterside setting convenient for the city centre and seafront. There are five bedrooms, four reception rooms, a host of original features and the extended kitchen/breakfast room incorporates an island, glazed ceiling and glass floor panels that reveal the waterway below. Get in touch with Strutt & Parker.
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